No kill or low kill

GOSHEN-Last week The Goshen Humane Society became a house divided when members voted on a motion to remove the society's current president, Sharon Barbera, and treasurer, Renee Rowly, from their posts and revoke their memberships. The motion failed in a 12-12 tie. The society's secretary, Mary Lotze, made the motion after reading a list of grievances against Barbera and Rowly, which Village Trustee Kevin Corr described as "dripping with hatred" and "more personal than anything." When the motion was opened for discussion, the focus quickly became the euthanasia of 29 cats at the Goshen Humane Society's shelter since it opened last May. News had spread that Trustee Corr, a veterinarian and shelter volunteer, was trapping feral cats and euthanizing them at the shelter. The story circulated after the 14-year-old granddaughter of a volunteer allegedly discovered the bodies of euthanized cats in the shelter's freezer chest. Barbara Mensch, the humane society's co-founder and former president, told The Chronicle that euthanasia violates the society's no-kill policy. The shelter is a no-kill shelter, and euthanasia is only performed in cases of irreparable injury or terminal illness, she said. [See sidebar on page 40.] In fact, Mensch said, out of the 8,000 animals rescued by the humane society in the last ten years, only about 30 had to be euthanized. Before the shelter opened, humane society volunteers fostered the animals in their homes and barns, and provided the animals with training and medical treatment. These volunteers spent hours, and in many cases thousands of dollars of their own money for the animals' care, Mensch said. The network of dedicated volunteers that fostered these animals, and saved them even when there was no shelter to harbor them, is still there, but alienated by the society's present leadership, she told The Chronicle on Wednesday. In the case of feral or stray cats, she said, the policy has always been to trap them; have them medically evaluated, treated, and spayed or neutered; notch their ears for future identification; then release them to where they were captured. "Why take lives away just because they're wild?" she asked. Sharon Barbera, who assumed the duties of president in November 2003, quickly clarified that not all of the euthanized cats were trapped; some were surrendered. "Bringing a cat to the shelter is not an automatic death sentence," she said. "We do everything we can based on the animal to place them. Occasionally if a cat is very sick or very injured, we look to vets" for a decision. Barbera said healthy cats that were "a danger or extremely feral" have been euthanized to protect the shelter's 22 volunteers and two employees. In each euthanasia case but one, she said, the euthanasia committee was contacted, a consensus reached, and the incident documented. But Mensch told The Chronicle that the crux of the problem is that the cats were being brought to the shelter to be euthanized rather than to a veterinarian's office, as was the practice previously in the rare cases where euthanasia was warranted. The shelter was never meant to be a "killing ground," she said. Councilman Ken Newbold, a humane society member and volunteer, said euthanizing the cats violated humane society policies. "Show me in your bylaws where it gives you the authority," he said to Barbera. Barbera conceded, "Maybe we did make some bad decisions," but maintained, "We are all new at this. We are trying our hardest to do it and do it right." Kevin Corr was asked to explain his role in the situation. Corr said he volunteers his veterinary services several times a week at the shelter. He evaluates animals, draws blood, neuters them, and provides medications at cost. Corr said he was contacted because a family living near the Department of Public Works had complained that feral cats were hanging around in their yard and damaging their plants. Corr said that in response to complaints like this, he trapped 13 feral cats, all on separate occasions, near the Department of Public Works and in the village. Four kittens were also trapped and later adopted. Corr said he responded to the complaints because feral cats can be a public health problem. There are 10 to 15 diseases, such as rabies and worms, that can be transmitted from cats to humans, he said. Nine of the feral cats were euthanized because they were very wild and unable to be examined, he said. Unexamined cats cannot be sheltered or released because of their potential to spread disease. Some members said fear will cause many cats to act feral when captured and caged. They asked Corr if he had spent enough time to determine if the cats were actually feral. But Corr insisted that cats in this state are a danger and a liability to shelter workers. All of the remaining cats were euthanized due to serious medical conditions such as kidney and liver failure, he said. While Corr agreed that most illnesses are treatable if funds are unlimited and space is available, this was not the case for any of these cats. Corr told The Chronicle that the shelter's goal is always to treat the cats and find homes for them. But, he said, it was summer, the shelter was full, there was no one to take the cats and care for them, and no available farms or barns to house them in. "You have to think, ‘Do you have a place today?'" he said. He added that he believes he made the best decision for each animal in each instance. Attorney Gary Greenwald recommended that the humane society consult with a lawyer because the practice of trapping and euthanizing cats could be a violation of the New York State Agriculture and Markets Laws relating to cruelty to animals. He advised the humane society to "enter a resolution stopping this practice," and request a written legal opinion to protect their liability. Laurene Sandstrom, the shelter director, defended euthanasia in this e-mailed statement to The Chronicle: "I was wondering if we could find out from the taxpayers of Goshen if they are more interested in an open intake, low-kill shelter that euthanizes for aggression and severe illness or a selective intake, no-kill shelter that is full of sick and feral cats and biting dogs. That way, when someone finds a litter of kittens, the shelter would have to say that we are full and not help that person. Maybe we could cut out all the bull if we find out what the public wants." Newbold asked why the euthanasia committee had not presented any reports to inform the membership at any of the humane society's monthly meetings. He said policies should not be changed without notice or by proper procedure. The Town of Goshen gave $25,000 toward the humane society's budget this year. Because of the perceived violations of the no-kill policy, Newbold said he will recommend that the Goshen Town Board cut all funding for next year. He later stated in a telephone interview that he will more likely ask the town board to cut funding only if the humane society fails to present a "united front" and come before the board within 60 days and show progress toward ironing out its policies. Newbold said he believes all parties involved are impassioned animal advocates, and that this whole issue is a case of "old school versus new school." When the officers changed and the shelter opened, a breakdown of communication occurred, and things were done and viewed differently than in the past, he said. Barbera agreed. "The shelter is a different situation," she told The Chronicle. "We're new at it. We've all tried to do the right things. We should have sat down proactively at the meeting and discussed it as a membership." Newbold said he intends to schedule a meeting and invite the society's two factions to "willingly come to the table to find some common ground of thinking." [Pamela Chergotis contributed to this article.]